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Yazidi refugees arrive in Canada to open arms

Restless anticipation turned to hugs and tears of joy the moment Saadi Mado saw his family for the first time in two years.

Nearly two hours after touching down at Pearson airport, the first seven Yazidi refugees arriving in Canada walked out to a welcoming party of two dozen relatives and friends. They were brought to Canada through the auspices of Project Abraham of the Mozuud Freedom Foundation.

Through the support of the Mozuud Freedom Foundation's Project Abraham, the first seven Yazidi refugees arrived in Canada on Wednesday night. (Sammy Hudes / Toronto Star)

Saadi Mado spoke to media at Toronto Pearson International Airport as he awaits the arrival of seven family members who are Yazidi refugees. Through the support of the Mozuud Freedom Foundation's Project Abraham, the first seven Yazidi refugees arrived in Canada on Wednesday night. (Sammy Hudes / Toronto Star)

Saadi Mado, his mother Marjan, brothers Sameer and Saeed and father Jasim celebrate after being reunited at Toronto Pearson International Airport. (Sammy Hudes / Toronto Star)

But no one was more happy to see them than Mado, his brother Sameer and sister Saada, who escaped persecution at the hands of Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, two years ago and now call the GTA home.

They rushed into the arms of their father, Jasim, and mother, Marjan. The couple, 54 and 50, respectively, arrived with their son Waleed and his wife, Shamsah, son Saeed, as well as grandchildren Aseel and Alex.

The family was separated two years ago when Mado and his siblings came to Canada. Born in Iraq, Mado fled to Turkey to escape the persecution of Yazidis in Iraq.

“It was a horrible feeling because you don’t know when you’re going to be killed or if they’re going to come and capture your family,” Mado said. “They take women, girls, kids and they sell people.”

His parents soon followed him to Turkey, as his father left a teaching job of 11 years to escape the violence. Jasim had been unemployed ever since, as Yazidis cannot work in Turkey.

“It was a horrible situation they passed through. I passed through the same situation,” Mado said, recalling having to live in refugee camps with no protection or rights because of his religion. “It is very hard because you cannot be citizens in Turkey. You can’t work. You don’t have your right to say anything.”

The Yazidis are an ancient people who have been the victim of many jihads, according to the Mozuud foundation. The most recent attacks they have suffered have come at the hands of Daesh, which practises an ultra-conservative form of Islam that doesn’t recognize Yazidis as co-religionists.

In June, Stéphane Dion, who was foreign minister at the time, declared the atrocity a genocide. The government announced in October its commitment to bring Yazidi refugees to Canada within four months, however none have arrived yet.

Mozuud’s Project Abraham dates back two years, said executive director Geoffrey Clarfield. It plans to bring 40 privately sponsored refugees to Canada, including those who arrived Wednesday in Toronto. So far it has raised about $100,000, but he estimates it will need to double that to fulfil the commitment.

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“We were very concerned that there was very little awareness of who the Yazidi were among Canadians,” Clarfield said. “There was next to little political interest in their plight. We knew that they were experiencing genocide.”

The federal government has not announced a quota of how many refugees it intends to allow in. Although there’s been much quiet surrounding the issue, Clarfield said he was hopeful the government would fulfil its promise of resettling survivors by its Feb. 22 target.

“When the government wants to do something, they do it,” he said. “They wanted to bring 35,000 refugees from Syria, they did it. If they’re committed to bringing in 35,000 Yazidis, trust me, they can do it.”

The upcoming year will be a challenging one for the arriving family, the organization says, as they begin to learn English and adapt to their new country.

Through his son’s translation, Jasim expressed gratitude being on Canadian soil.

“We are really happy to be joined by our kids again and be safe,” he said.

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